


Together Till the End

by thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey



Series: The World Turned Upside Down. [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 23:51:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11931933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey/pseuds/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey
Summary: Keith, Lance and Lance's girlfriend are all kidnapped. With the help of Hunk, Keith's dad desperately races against time to find his son before it is too late.





	Together Till the End

**Author's Note:**

> This whole scenario is somewhat unrealistic, but it's fiction, so ha. Marked Gen because, while they're still dating, it isn't a focus, just happening.

“Bye, Annalise!”

Annalise smiled and waved to Lance, Hunk and Keith. “See you next week! Don’t forget about the biology quiz!”

“I’m _trying_ to forget the biology quiz.”

She laughed and waved again, turning the corner. The three boys heard a screech of tires and a little shout from Annalise.

Lance’s face turned dead white and he ran around the corner, a worried Keith and Hunk following, rounding the corner just in time to see Annalise being shoved into a white van. With another screech of tires, it sailed off. Lance and Keith immediately started chasing it.

“Hunk! Call the police!”

Hunk nodded and began to dial as Keith and lance charged out of sight. “Hello? I need to report a kidnapping. My name is Hunk Garret, and I just saw a girl get pulled into a white van and it left. Yes, a white van. It’s license number was 24601. Crockett High School.”

He hung up; twenty minutes later, he could hear the sirens and his phone rang. It was from Keith. “Hunk! The van stopped at a gas station!”

“Which one?”

“Uh… I can’t tell. There’s no sign. Did you call the police? Because I think Lance is about ready to attempt to fight both of them, and that could potentially turn into a disaster.”

“I did. They’re coming here. I’ll send them your way. Keep Lance from doing anything stupid, okay?”

“I’ll try.” Keith hung up his phone. Lance was watching the kidnappers, his eyes slits in his anger.

“Don’t do it.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

“No, but you’re thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. The police are on their way.”

The two burly men walked into the store, leaving the car unattended.

“Let’s go.”

“What? What’re we going to do, steal the car?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “No. We’re going to let Annalise out, stupid. The we’ll go inside the store, get some help and wait for the police.

“Why can’t we get the help _now_?”

“Because they might leave before we can convince anybody and Annalise will be gone.”

“Good point. Let’s go.” The two boys crept up to the van and examined the doors until they found the lock, flipping the latch.

“Why is the latch on the outside,” Keith whispered.

“So that whoever’s inside can’t get out,” Lance replied. He pulled the doors open. Inside, Annalise was curled on the floor, her hands behind her back with a belt cinched around her wrists.

“Lance?”

Lance and Keith climbed into the truck, Keith undoing the belt while Annalise cried into Lance’s shoulder as he held her.

“I was so s-sc-scared,” she sobbed, “I didn’t know what was going on, or where we were going, or-or-or-”

Lance patted her back. “Shh. It’s alright. We’ve got you now. Shhhh. It’ll be ooookay.” Then the door slammed shut on them, and, as if from a far-off distance, they heard the lock click.

“Oh. That’s… that’s bad.”

“Hold on.” There was a sudden flash of light as Keith turned on his phone, activating the flashlight app. “I’ll just call Hunk and tell him what’s happening.” His face paled as he smacked his phone, cursing. “I can’t get any reception! Stupid…”

“What- what does it mean?”

Keith looked Annalise in the eyes, face grim. “It means we’re stuck.”

 

 

Akira pulled up to Keith’s school and frowned at all the police cars parked outside it. He spotted Hunk and waved. “I got a flat on the way here. Why are you still here? What’s going on?”

For once, Hunk wasn’t smiling. “Annalise got kidnapped.”

“Lance’s girlfriend? That’s awful! Speaking of Lance, where is he? Where’s Keith?”

Hunk’s face got even more serious, and Akira paled. “Keith and Lance chased after the car and… I haven’t heard from them in over an hour.”

 

 

“Where is he?”

“Sir, calm down, I don’t know what you’re talking-”

“My son, Keith! He’s gone!”

“Join the que. Sir, why don’t you file a report at the police station, and-”

“Because, _ma’am_ , he’s missing because he followed a bunch of kidnappers! What are you doing to find them?!”

“Sir, we’re doing everything we can.”

“Mr. Kogane?” Hunk tugged on the older man’s sleeve. “Mr. Kogane, yelling at the police won’t do anything.”

“Fine,” Akira growled, “I’ll find them myself.”

“Sir, that isn’t wise. These men-”

“They have my son, and I’m going to find them. Come on, Hunk.”

As Akira stormed back to his truck, Hunk struggled to keep up. “Mr. Kogane, what are we going to do?”

“Hunk, I need you to get me to the last place you heard from them.”

“Yes sir, but the police-”

“The police don’t know this area as well as I do. We’re going to find them. Now, where was the last place you got a phone call?”

“He said he was at a gas station, but there wasn’t any sign. He didn’t know where they were.”

“I do. I know that gas station, because it’s the closest one to my house. Come on.” Hunk obediently climbed into the truck.

“What should I tell my aunt and uncle?”

“So that’s who you’re living with. Tell them that I’ll bring you home soon, but I needed your help with something.”

“A-alright.” There was silence for a moment. Then, “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“They’d better be.”

 

 

“What time is it?”

Keith turned on his phone. “About five-o-clock.”

“I can’t believe it’s only been two hours. Do you think we’ll stop soon?”

Keith banged on the wall separating the three teenagers from the front. “Hey! How long are we going to be in here?”

Lance winced, and Annalise groaned, putting her head in her hands. There was no answer.

“I say we keep doing that every five minutes until they either answer or stop the car.”

“Yeah, they’ll stop the car so they can _shoot_ you. This isn’t a game, Keith! These are real life kidnappers, ones who stole Annalise and then locked us in here and are probably driving us out of the state!”

“I’m never going to see my family again,” Annalise groaned, “They’ll never know…”

“Sh, don’t say that! We’ve got each other, and if I know Keith’s dad, he’s probably already on their trail.”

“What are _we_ going to do? What if they separate us? They didn’t want _you_! What if they decide you’re too much work and they shoot you? What’ll I do?!”

“You’ll keep on living. Annalise, I know you’re strong. You’re a fighter. Remember when you told Avery that you were done doing his homework? Then you went and got Keith and Hunk? Remember that?”

“I was terrified.”

“But you did it anyway.”

“Moral of the story?”

“You’re stronger than you think. Just don’t give up, okay?”

Annalise took in a shuddering breath. “Okay. I’m okay.”

Keith sighed loudly. “They’ll have to stop soon, right? I mean, they’ve got to eat _sometime._ ”

“Unless they packed sandwiches.”

“Good point. So maybe they won’t stop. They _do_ have to sleep, though.”

“There’s two of them, possibly three. They don’t have to stop.”

“Alright, fine, what do you want me to say, it’s hopeless? Come _on_ Lance.”

“I’m just stating possibilities.”

“Gas. They’ll definitely have to stop for gas.”

“Okay. We wait for a gas station, and then we either try to break the doors or bang around so much someone comes to investigate.”

“Solid plan. What if the kidnappers come to investigate?”

“We can try rushing them.”

“What if they have guns?”

“We charge them more carefully.”

“I’m beginning to see why you never pull pranks; you can’t plan to save your life.”

“You have a better plan? Besides wait for help, because you know that probably no one’s going to find us.”

“Besides your dad.”

“Right. Besides him. But who knows how long that’ll take him? Better to just rescue ourselves. Otherwise, my dad might drive past us, or take a wrong turn.”

“Alright. Good. Let’s go. Probably not that much longer. We’ve been driving for two hours. Actually, I think by now it’s three. We’ll be okay.”

 

 

“Are you sure this is the right gas station?”

“Trust me, Hunk. All other gas stations are flashy with big signs.” Akira pulled open the doors, and the man behind the counter smiled and waved a little.

“Hey, Akira. Getting anything?”

“Actually I’m looking for a car I think was here. Big white van?”

“You know, the police phoned about that, too. Unfortunately, our security was asleep, so we have to re-watch all the video to see if it was here. Why are you after it?”

“My son disappeared while chasing it.”

“Little Keith? That’s terrible. He was such an adorable little guy.”

“He’s fourteen now.”

“Of course, of course. I hope you find them. We should be almost done reviewing the tape, I think. Hey, Ed! How’s the tape going?” He directed the last words behind him, into the room marked “security.”

“I think… Found it!”

Akira and the man at the counter rushed in and Ed played the tape. A white van pulled up to the pump and two men got out. A few moments later, they walked into the store, and two small boys shot over to the door.

“That’s Keith and Lance!” The pulled the doors open and went inside. A couple of minutes later, the two men walked out of the store and closed the doors before driving away.

“Which way did they go?”

“The long road, I think.”

"Long road?"

“The long road,” Akira explained to Hunk, “is a road that goes for about hundred-fifty miles, with a gas station somewhere on the way. No turns. So. We just have to catch them.”

“Good luck, Akira,” the man at the counter said as they left, “You’re gonna need it.”

 

 

“We’re stopping.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely. We’re slowing down, aaaaand… We’ve stopped.”

The driver’s door slammed, and Keith jumped up. “Alright. Start banging.” Annalise and Lance started smacking their fists into the wall, hoping someone would notice, and Keith rammed his shoulder into the door. He backed up and tried again, and again. He could see the door bulging a little, and doubled his efforts.

Someone banged on the sides from the outside. “Quiet down in there! Don’t make me open this door, because I’m armed!”

Lance and Annalise stopped banging. Keith went to the very back of the truck and sprinted towards the door. This was his last chance. If he didn’t get the door open, they were stuck. The van screeched away, hitting a pothole. Everybody bounced a little. Keith lurched forward and then got full on thrown into the ceiling, smacking his head. He slumped to the floor with a groan, his vision flicking in and out as he slid into unconsciousness.

“Keith? Keith? Buddy, talk to me!” Annalise and Lance crawled over to where Keith was lying.

“Ohmygosh, he’s dead!”

“No, he’s just unconscious… I hope.” Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist and felt for a pulse, letting out a sigh of relief when he felt the steady beat. “Just unconscious. He’s going to have one _monster_ of a headache when he wakes up, though.”

“I think headaches are going to be the least of his problems.”

“You’re right. He’s probably has a concussion. How hard do you think he hit the ceiling?”

“Hard enough. Should we wake him up?”

“ _Can_ we?” He gently patted Keith’s cheek. “Hey! Wake up! Don’t just sit there! Wake _up_!”

“I don’t think that’s working. He’s out.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“Lance?”

“Yes?”

“Do… do you really think we’ll get out of this?”

Lance let out a sigh. “Honestly? I have no idea. All I know is that the more we drive, the less likely we are to be found. And I’m _hoping_ that the police or Keith’s dad or someone will find us, but they probably have no idea where we are. My dad’s out somewhere, working. He probably doesn’t even know I’m gone yet. No one will’ve told him. My mom will be out of her mind with worry, but she’ll be trying to hold it together for my siblings. I’m just hoping…”

Annalise slipped her hand into his. “We will. We’ll get away. We have each other, right? We’ll be okay.”

“I hope you’re right. I really hope you’re right.”

 

 

Keith felt like something had crawled into his mouth and died. His eyes were glued shut, and _what_ was that _infernal pounding_ that was _killing_ his head? He tried to force his eyes open, and failed miserably. _Come on, Kogane,_ he thought, _do you_ seriously _not even have that much control over yourself? Open your eyes!_ He tried again, and the pain flared up. He let out a little moan.

“Keith? Keith, are you awake?” Something shook him a little, and Keith cracked his eyes open.

“Stop shouting.”

“I’m not shouting,” Lance continued in a worried but still loud voice, “This is how I normally speak.”

“Shh. You’re giving me a headache.”

“Told you,” said Annalise, “bet you anything he’s got a concussion.”

“What? What time is it?” Keith attempted to sit up, failed, and had to lie back down.

“It’s about nine, I think.”

“I’ve been out for _four hours?!_ ” He _did_ sit up this time, and immediately regretted it as his head began to swim.

“Whoa there, calm down.” Annalise and Lance steadied him. “You slammed into that ceiling _really_ hard. You need to hold still.”

“Fair warning,” he said, “I feel like I might puke.”

“Do it on me,” Lance warned, “and I will bust those doors open and throw you out.”

“Yes, sir.” Keith leaned against the wall, fighting back nausea. “Lance, I think you’re a bad influence. Whenever I’m around you, I seem to get head injuries.”

Annalise snorted a laugh while Lance made a little noise of protest. “Hey! This time was _your_ stupid fault! I had nothing to do with it!”

“ _This_ time? What else happened?”

“Lance rode his surfboard into my head.”

“You say that like I did it on purpose! It was an accident, I swear!”

“Does it seem like we’re slowing down to anyone else?”

They hit another bump and Keith winced as his head protested loudly. “I think we’re off-roading.”

“What?”

“They got off the road.”

“Why are we stopping?” All three prisoners stopped talking as loud, angry words made their way through the thick barrier. “We need to keep going so that no one will catch us!”

“I’m not driving all night.”

“Why do you think there are _three_ of us, moron?!”

“I don’t want to have to be driven, either! I want to stop and get some sleep! I was up at the crack of dawn and drove all day to get you. I want to stop and get decent sleep before I drive any more. And that’s final.”

There was a moment of silence. “Fine. But if we get caught, I blame you. If we get caught, don’t expect me to help you. Got that?”

“Got it. Can we get out of the car? I brought sleeping bags.”

A loud sigh. “Fine. Check on the cargo, will you?”

“Which would be…”

“Just the girl.”

“And the boys…”

“I don’t care. You can shoot them for all I care. Boys aren’t in demand. Not very high demand, anyway. Hm. Maybe keep one alive.”

“Can we mess with ’em?”

“Fine. Pick off the weakest ones. Just don’t do anything to catastrophic; the more alive the better.”

The door slammed and heavy footsteps thudded towards the trunk. The door swung open, and a bright flashlight shone on the three teenagers. Lance and Keith immediately moved in front of Annalise, ready to protect her. After all, she’d been the one to have a meltdown. They would probably see her as the weakest link.

“Aw, look at the chivalrous knights, protecting the damsel in distress. Betcha ten bucks he does it.”

“I’ll take that bet. I don’t think any of them would have the stomach for it.”

“Maybe. Alright.” Both burly men stepped into the van. One grabbed Keith by the arm and wrenched him away from his spot as easily as Keith might move a puppy. So much for protecting Annalise.

“This one?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Keith’s brain struggled to calculate what was going on. They had said they would pick on the weakest, and they had assumed they had meant Annalise, with her meltdown and being smaller. Why him? Because he was a loner, he realized, because, while he had friends here, he didn’t have quite the same relationship with them as they did each other. They made each other stronger and were brave for each other. He was alone in the world, alone in that respect. That made him the weak link in the herd.

Each man pointed a gun at one of his friends. “Don’t try running away.” One of them tossed another gun to Keith. He caught it with fumbling fingers, shocked. The first thing his dad had _ever_ taught him about guns was that you _never_ played around with them. They were weapons, not toys, and had to be treated with respect and a healthy dose of caution. You _certainly_ never threw them.

“Shoot one of your friends.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Shoot one of them, or I’ll shoot both.”

Keith stared numbly at the gun in his hand. He had a weapon. He could shoot one of them, maybe shock them both into letting them go. But it would never work. They’d see it coming and then Lance and Annalise would both die as a result, and he was pretty sure he would get shot as well before he could ever shoot them. Not an option. But the only alternative…

He looked at both of his friends, shaking like a leaf. Lance gave him a look that said very clearly if he shot Annalise, Lance would never forgive him. A choice between friends, a choice between lives. What right did _he_ have to choose who lived or who died? None. None whatsoever. Yet, it was up to him. To choose between Lance, who’d been his friend ever since he first swaggered up that beach and taught him how to surfboard and Annalise, who’d he’d only met a few months ago, but who’d wormed her way into his heart, who he’d promised himself to protect at all costs. Hands shaking, he aimed the gun at Lance. Lance gave him a look and a silent moment of understanding passed between them. Lance wanted this, and if he was going to die, he wanted Keith to take care of Annalise. Keith fired the gun.

 

It was his shaking hands that saved Lance’s life. His hands twitched and the shot went wild, punching a hole in the side of the van. Keith threw the gun as far as he could away from himself, eyes twice their normal size, whiter than paper, shaking uncontrollably. He sat down with a thump, everything happening as if in a dream.

“Told you he couldn’t. You owe me ten bucks,” one of them said.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I really thought he might.” Both left the truck, slamming the doors behind them and locking them. Keith just curled into fetal position, wishing the world would just go away.

“Keith? Keith?”

“You are remarkably calm for someone who just almost got shot.”

Lance waved away Annalise’s concern. “I was expecting it. I would’ve rather had me shot than you. Do you have your phone? Mine was in my backpack.” Annalise wordlessly handed him her phone and he shined the light on Keith, who was curled into a ball against the wall. They crawled over and Lance gently shook his shoulder. “Keith? Buddy?” Keith just shook, rocking back and forth, eyes completely panicked. “Oh, geeze, I think he’s going into shock. Do you know how to break someone out of shock?”

“Um… I think…” Annalise slapped Keith full across the face. He just fell over, muttering to himself, and was he… crying?

“What was that?!”

“I’m sorry! I read somewhere that a good slap sometimes breaks people out of shock!”

“Apparently this was not one of those times. Keith? Come on, buddy, snap out of it!” Lance snapped his fingers a few times in front of Keith’s face. There was no reaction.

Annalise gently pulled Keith upright and wrapped her arms around him. “Shh, it’ll be okay, Keith, come back, Keith, come on.” He just kept shaking and biting his lip. She sighed and kept holding him.

 

 

“Mr. Kogane? How long have we been driving?”

“Hours, Hunk. We have to keep going, because if we don’t catch them before the fork, they’ll get away.”

“Yes sir. Um, but, normally I’m not out for a long time”

“I promise I’ll get you back home, Hunk. I just… I can’t let them get away. Wait a minute.” Akira slammed on the brakes. “What happened here?” He was looking at a large patch of flattened field.

“Feral hogs?”

Akira opened the door and examined the grass. “Not unless hogs have tire tracks. I think we’re close.”

 

Akira and Hunk snuck through the field, following the tracks of the van.

“There.” Akira pointed to the source of the tracks. “That’s where they are.”

“Um, sir? Are we going to call the police or anything?”

“Good idea. You do that. I’m going to get the kids.”

“Wait, but what if they stop you?”

Akira scowled in the direction of the three men. “I’d like to see them try.” He walked right to the truck, wielding a hammer he’d found in his truck bed. The three men were asleep. That would make it easier. He snuck up right next to the truck, unlatching the door and letting it swing open. Three dark lumps were huddled inside. “Keith,” he whispered, “Are you in there? Lance? Annalise?”

One of the lumps lifted a head. “Mr. Kogane?”

“Lance? Are you alright? Is everybody okay?”

“Um, me and Annalise are okay, she’s asleep, but, uh, I think Keith’s in shock. He took a pretty bad hit to the head, and, um, stuff.”

Akira growled softly. “I am going to _murder_ those men. Can you come out?”

“Y-yeah. I think so.” Lance shook one of the other lumps who raised a head sleepily.

“What’s going on? Are we going somewhere.”

“Mr. Kogane is here. We’re leaving.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Can you help me move Keith?”

“Yeah.” The two teenagers carefully half-shoved half-carried Keith to the door.

Akira picked his son up, holding him like he had when Keith was a baby. “We’re leaving. Hunk’s waiting, let’s go before they wake up.” Lance and Annalise nodded and scrambled after him.

 

“You’re okay!” Hunk swept Annalise and Lance up into a hug. “I was so worried! Don’t any of you _ever_ scare me like that again!”

“Are the police coming?”

“Yeah. The said to stay where we are. They also told me to tell you that what you’re doing could jeopardize everything and that you shouldn’t ever do it again.”

“Okay. Point taken. Did you tell them ix-nay on the sirens?”

“I told them not to scare them away, so hopefully they’ll take it that way. What’s wrong with Keith?”

“I think he’s in shock, or having a panic attack.”

“ _Keith_?”

Lance cleared his throat. “They, ah, they put a gun up to me and Annalise’s heads and told him to shoot one of us or they’d shoot both of us. I think that’s got him pretty traumatized.”

“They told him to _shoot_ one of you? Are you okay?”

“He missed.”

Akira gently set his son down on the curb. “Keith? Look at me Keith.” Keith didn’t respond. Akira gently took his face and turned it so Keith was looking right into his eyes. “Son, listen to me. You’re alright now. You’re safe. Calm down.”

“Dad?”

“Yes. It’s me. Calm down. You’re going to be fine.”

“Dad, I- I almost shot Lance.”

“I know. It’s alright. You didn’t, and everybody is fine.”

“But I almost _killed_ him. He could’ve _died_.”

“Keith. The important thing is that you didn’t. You were strong enough not to.”

Keith let out a choked snort. “I was _chicken_ enough not to.” His gaze dropped to the ground. “I was scared.”

Akira wrapped his arms around Keith, gently stroking his hair. “It’s alright to be scared. Everybody gets scared. You don’t have to be fearless all the time.”

“I was _terrified_ ,” Lance offered, “Like the whole time. Not just the gun part.”

“I was terrified too,” Akira whispered, “I was so scared that I’d lost you, that I would find your body in a ditch somewhere or worse, never see you again, never know what happened. I was so scared I took Hunk on a four-hour trip instead of bringing him back first. _I’m_ probably going to get arrested for kidnapping. It’s alright to be scared.”

Keith looked at Lance, his eyes tortured. “I almost killed you.”

Lance grinned at his friend. “I almost killed you with my surfboard. The way I see it, we’re even now.”

Annalise gave him a hug. “Keith, nobody blames you for anything, except _scaring me half to death_.”

“Sorry.” Keith smiled a little, and Akira breathed a sigh of relief. Looked like he was back to normal.

“Are any of you injured?”

“No,” Keith said, at the same time Annalise said

“Keith has a concussion.”

“What?”

“Keith, you slammed your head into a ceiling and were out for four hours.”

“ _Keith._ ”

“It doesn’t hurt. That bad.”

Akira sighed. “I really hope the police bring a medic.”

 

 

“Hey, Annalise.” Lance waved. “Are you, you know, okay?”

Annalise dragged her feet over. “Hey. Um, yeah, I’m alright.”

Lance stooped a little to look in her eyes. “Are you sure? You seem a little down.”

“It’s just… I… I’m moving.”

“You’re _what?!_ ”

“My dad had been thinking of finding a better job somewhere else, and well, last night cinched it. Now this area is “too dangerous,” and we’re leaving for California. He wants to put this whole thing behind us. Start over.”

“But… But what about us?”

“I’m sorry, Lance. I really am. But we can’t… I can’t.”

“But…”

She took his hand. “We had a good run, huh? Spent lots of time with each other.”

“Not enough. Not nearly enough.”

“It’s never enough time. But my dad… he doesn’t think I should have too big of a connection with this place. Friends? Sure. Boyfriends? Absolutely not. So I can’t. I’m so, so, sorry.” She embraced him. “Friends?”

“Forever,” Lance promised. “I said we would be, didn’t I? After I’d only known you for a day.”

She smiled a little sad smile. “I kind of thought you were delirious after all the knocking around.”

“I meant it. Every word.”

She offered him a hand. “Then here’s to friends.”

“To friends.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, sorry 'bout that depressing ending.


End file.
